Theater companies around the country pay lip service to developing new work for the American theater. But playwright Michele Lowe says the Denver Center Theatre Company walks the walk.
“You look at the Denver Center’s track record, and they not only do the development, they put up the plays that they believe in,” said Lowe, whose “Map of Heaven” opened Thursday, becoming the DCTC’s 13th full world premiere in just the past six years, while the 14th, “The Catch,” opens Jan. 27.
There are plenty of grants and commissions available for playwrights to write new plays, Lowe said. The problem is no one is producing them. “So the play gets written, and then nothing happens to it,” she said.
“But the Denver Center puts its money where its mouth is.”
“Map of Heaven” and “The Catch” will be the featured full stagings during the Denver Center’s sixth Colorado New Play Summit next month. That’s the annual, national industry gathering during which the company has offered up 24 developing works as “staged readings,” many of which have gone on to earn a spot on the next full mainstage season. Last year, “Map of Heaven,” “The Catch” and “House of the Spirits” made the leap from the summit to a spot on the season schedule.
No writer has benefited from artistic director Kent Thompson’s new-play model more than Lowe, who has had a project in the mix for five of the six New Play Summits. Lowe’s “Inana” graduated from the 2008 summit to a full production the next year.
By then, Lowe already had written the first draft of “Map of Heaven.” It’s about a rising New York artist named Lena who paints maps of places real and imaginary. But when her oncologist husband makes a medical mistake that strikes close to home, there are devastating repercussions.
It wasn’t always a play about consequences. And it wasn’t always clear which character should be the focal point. With its future uncertain, Lowe put her play away. It was her commission from the Denver Center that gave Lowe the time, resources — and, yes, cash — to answer the play’s key questions.
Denver Center stipends vary — most of the 20-plus commissions in the development pipeline at any given time come in at around $5,000. More important, Lowe said, are the in-kind resources the company makes available to writers.
With no guarantee of an eventual production, Lowe was given a full week in Denver, with a director and actors, to play with the play. “That’s all in service of the script, not of a specific production,” she said. “That’s huge.”
And that’s when things started clicking. She settled on the artist, Lena, as the central character, and strengthened the support stories around her, she said.
Lowe made big, additional changes to the script while it was being prepared for the 2010 summit reading. And even more during the first two weeks of rehearsals for the current staging. That’s what it takes, she says, to deliver a new play with a fighting chance of making a real impact.
“Map of Heaven” is most easily labeled a relationship drama, with a good dose of humor, Lowe said. Relationship dramas are actually a tough sell at present, she added, because hot buttons like the economy and the polarized electorate are pushing “issue plays” to the fore — even though audiences have shown a preference for compelling relationship stories for centuries.
“The difficulty with issue plays is that many, many people are writing them right now, and it’s hard to find something new to say about them,” she said. “That’s why I don’t write them. I’ve got a lot of competition out there, so I try to take it much more deeply into my own personal life.”
What most artistic directors are looking for, she said, “is simply a point of view they have never heard before, regardless of topic.” The easiest sell of all right now, she added, “is a comedy with one set and three characters.”
That’s something Lowe already has done — and moved on from. She’s best known for “Smell of the Kill,” a black comedy about three couples at a dinner party where the men have trapped themselves in the freezer, and the wives ponder the pros and cons of rescuing them.
A far cry from “Map of Heaven” or the sadly serious “Inana,” which looks at the near total destruction of Iraq’s cultural past during the war. Unlike writers like August Wilson or David Mamet, it’s almost impossible to identify any play as Lowe’s without a title page.
“I like to write things that I have absolutely no talent for,” she said — hence, stories on dealing art, treating breast cancer and, well, freezing husbands.
“I would love to save people’s lives, but I can’t. … so I create a doctor who can.”
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
Video by Charlie Miller, Denver Center Theatre Company
“Map of Heaven”
Drama. Presented by the Denver Center Theatre Company at the Ricketson Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex. Written by Michele Lowe. Directed by Evan Cabnet. Through Feb. 26. 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. $10-$67. Recommended for ages 12 and up. 303-893-4100 (800-641-1222 outside Denver) or
To see more production photos from “Map of Heaven,” scroll to the bottom of this page
Video podcast: Country Dinner Playhouse demolition
We take you to the scene at the first day of the demolition of the Country Dinner Playhouse, which began on Tuesday, Jan. 18. Video by John Moore, The Denver Post.
This weekend’s other theater openings
“The 39 Steps” In this quirky British sendup of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 spy thriller, four actors play more than 50 roles, retooling the classic thriller into a hilarious comedy that still manages to be faithful to the movie. Through Feb. 20. Lake Dillon Theatre, 176 Lake Dillon Drive, 970-513-9386 or
“Boeing Boeing” In this popular French farce set in the 1960s, Bernard is a Parisian architect with three stewardess fiancees, each convinced she’s the only one. It all works perfectly, until an old school friend arrives. By Marc Camoletti. Through Feb. 13. Presented by TheatreWorksat the Bon Vivant Theater, 3955 Cragwood Drive, Colorado Springs, 719-255-3232 or
“Bye, Bye Birdie” This musical satire of 1958 American middle-class society was inspired by the phenomenon of Elvis Presley’s induction into the Army. In it, Elvis knockoff Conrad Birdie comes to Sweet Apple, Ohio, to kiss a random girl goodbye before reporting to duty. Songs include “Kids” and “Got a Lot of Living.” Through March 20. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747, 1-877-240-4242 or
“Circle Mirror Transformation” Touching story of a community theater drama class in New England that finds a misplaced entourage of outsiders in the hands of their teacher, Marty. As they experiment with theater games and group exercises, hearts are quietly torn apart and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. A tender human fragility underscores this witty story of transformation, both subtle and monumental, in an unsuspecting group of strangers. By Annie Baker. Directed by Christopher Leo. Through Feb. 26. 1080 Acoma St., 303-623-0524 or and here’s
“Extremities” In the aftermath of an attempted rape, a woman turns the tables on her attacker. This is the debut staging by the Edge, previously known as the E-Project. Through Feb. 20. 9797 W. Colfax Ave., Lakewood, 303-232-0363 or
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“Map of Heaven” In this world premiere drama by the Denver Center Theatre Company, Lena’s painting career is on the rise. Her maps of places real and imaginary are poised to take New York by storm. But when her radiologist husband makes a mistake, Lena’s life is upended. Michele Lowe’s contemporary relationship story explores the consequences of a single lapse in ethical judgment. Through Feb. 26. Ricketson Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or and here’s –>
Complete theater listings
Go to our complete list of in Colorado, including summaries, run dates, addresses, phones and links to every company’s home page. Or check out our listings or
The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue.
Video podcast: Afterthought Theatre at Kent Denver School
In preparation for Martin Luther King Day, Afterthought Theatre came to the Kent Denver School to present “The Meeting,” which imagines a meeting between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Video by John Moore, The Denver Post.
